(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arbitrary waveform generator that can produce either pulse or continuous wave (CW) signals. The generator has the capability of producing arbitrary signals that can be output in any order. The waveform generation is arbitrary in the sense that the waveforms to be output can be created, programmed, and loaded into a memory device prior to generation and can not be changed during actual operation. The design was made to be compact and low power since the circuit will serve as the signal source section for a transmitter to be used in a deep water environment where the use of battery power is dictated.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the past, circuits, sometimes referred to as "pingers" were used to generate certain types of signals for acoustic transmission, communication, tracking, and channel modelling tests. These prior art circuits do not have the capability to produce arbitrary signals such as multi-frequency shift keyed signals (many tones sent in a single pulse at one time). Therefore, the arbitrary generation approach to waveform generation seems an integral part of the changing needs of the acoustic testing and modelling community.